The modern cruising version of the Square Metre Boat of the seventies, also known as Cruising Skärgårdskryssare, is a clever merge of agility afloat, elegance, and comfort for a family or friends. The S30 and Swede 55 are long-lasting thanks to their robust GRP construction and easy to keep. When the good times of Swedish boat building ended and the Gylling Group withdrew from the Fisksätra yard in 1979, the chapter of Cruising Square Metre Boats seemed to become history.
Relaunch of Cruising Square Metre Boats by Knud Reimers
However, this type of boat was to teasing to forget it. First there was an attempt with a beamier and heavier Swede 55 variation named Super Swede 53. Nine years after the series manufacture of the S30 and Swede 55 by the Fisksätra yard in Västervik in eastern Sweden ceased, Swede 55 initiator Olof Hildebrand planned to relaunch Swede 55 in a contemporary sandwich construction. As described in the article about the Swede 55 development, Hildebrand had developed the boat together with Knud Reimers and a team in 1973-75. In 1981-86, a succeeding yard built a further six Swede 55s. The two Swede 55 successors called Swede 75 were rigged in 1989, including the Universal Hartbeat shown above in tough conditions off the Needles/Isle of Wight. This prompted me to found Swedesail in 1991.
Demo sailing the prototype with clients in May 1992 off Kiel-Schilksee, the boat impressed with performance similar to empty top-notch racers preparing for the MAIOR Admiral’s Cup selections.
Agile and fun to sail boats
Half as wide as common boats: 30 m2 cruising square metre boat Type Lotus – Foto Swedesail
Sailing since childhood, I became familiar with sailing dinghies and offshore sailing in the seventies aboard a 30 m2 cruising version type Lotus: 39 × 7 × 5 ft draft, 5,700 lbs (12 × 2.15 × 1.50 m draft, 2.6 t). Crossing the Skagerrak, navigating around the exposed southwestern coast of Norway to Stavanger and a three-day sprint from the German seaboard to Åaland archipelago was fascinating.
Then it was time for a boat with full headroom, a restroom instead of a bucket and a reliable inboard engine, Swede 55. In the nineties, I published about square metre boats and the international rule/metre boats. My articles on boat restoration, naval architects, sailors, and boat builders contributed to the renaissance of classic yachting in Germany and Switzerland.
Swede 41 and Swede 75
Super Swede 53 under construction 1984 in Hergla/Tunisia. Swedesail sold this boat later to Germay – Foto Swedesail
Contributions to a book edited by the famous bluewater sailor Wilfried Erdmann in 1992 and 1995
I sold the Swede 75 prototype, some Swede 41 new builds to Germany and the Mediterranean, secondhand Swede 55s from Scandinavia, a Super Swede 53 to Germany and boldly opened a branch at 405 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, named Swedesail North America. The 71st floor of the Chrysler building, uptown New York, was a good Adress, where a real estate man conducted a more profitable business.
Advice for buyers and boat owners
Contributions to Encyclopedia of Yacht Designers by W.W. Norton & Company New York 2003
Disappointed with the boats supplied in Sweden, I stopped selling in 1997 and took care of my clients and the delivered boats to unsure that they get what they ordered and paid for. Giving up this attempt was not easy. I focussed on my work as an author, copywriter, journalist, and Gamle Swede. For a couple of years, I have been advising sailors considering a new or secondhand boat and owners regarding repair, maintenance, or alterations. I am helping as well to sell the yacht. This work is based on decades of experience with 30 and 55 m2 Cruising Square Metre boats, hands on operation of Gamle Swede and knowledge of the industry. I am working straightforward to the point: focused on what the client wants to achieve.
Swede 55 Gamle Swede at the windy Schlank & Rank Regatta off Fehmarn – Photo Michael Amme
Photo on top by Beken of Cowes: Swede 75 Universal Hartbeat crossing the challenging overfalls at wind-against-tide conditions off the Needles/Isle of Wight. An endurance test for boat and crew. Published April 1, 2025, updated October, 2025.→ Subscribe to the newsletter, and you won’t miss future articles.
